Brezhnev to refer to Berlin

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32635, 17 June 1971, Page 11

Brezhnev to refer to Berlin

EAST BERLIN, June 16. The Soviet Party leader, Mr Leonid Brezhnev, i* due to address the East German Communist Party congress in East Berlin today in a speech which Soviet sources said would include references to Berlin.

Observers expect that he will speak about proposed mutual reductions of land forces in Europe a possibility which he has recently said the Soviet Union is prepared to discuse. A N.A.TO. Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Lisbon, while welcoming the Soviet pro-

nosal and agreeing to continue bilateral contacts on the subject, underlined the importance of a satisfactory Berlin settlement for future Epst-West relations. The East Germans are known to be stubbornly opposed to any agreement which might reduce its sovereignty around BerlinMr Erich Honecker, the new East German party leader, referred in his keynote speech yesterday to West Berlin as a “city with • special political status" which observers saw as a slight softening of the previous official definition of the city as “an independent political entity.” After the last session of the protracted four-Power talks on Berlin, Allied officials reported encouraging signs of progress, in particular an indication that the Soviets would be prepared to guarantee free civilian access to and from West Berlin. 7 Other Warsaw Pact leaders are also expected to ad. dress the congress of some 2000 party membera to. day. The congress opened yesterday with the surprising absence of Mr Walter Ulbricht, the undisputed leader of the party for more than two decades until his sudden retire, ment last month. The 77-year-old Head of State and honorary party chairman was due to give the inaugural address, but instead came ths announcement that he was unable to attend because of illness, and his speech was read out